Host
by emeralddusk
Summary: <html><head></head>How do you run from something that's inside of you?</html>


_Season of Terror_

Austin and Ally

Host

As Halloween approached, the tropical air of Miami, Florida grew cool as the season of terror extended its ominous whisper along the shores. All around the city, paper jack-o'-lanterns, ghosts, and witches, orange and black streamers, large artificial spider webs, carved pumpkins, pictures of vampires, werewolves, and skeletons, and ravens decorated houses and businesses. More extreme fans lined their yards with plastic headstones, random skeletal or zombified body parts, stuffed black cats, and grizzly bats hanging from wires. Spatters of artificial blood lined several walls, strobe lights set to flash at night hung from various spots on roofs, porches, and walls, and sound machines producing the roars of wolves and rabid dogs, the cackling of witches, and various ghostly moans and roars were hidden all over the houses. In the Mall of Miami, several stores were completely transformed into cemetery scenes with merchandise, Gothic castle designs, and, in more adult-oriented shops, bloody hospital rooms or Salem-influenced scenes. The eateries, though draped with fake spider webs and autumn sets, remained primarily the same. The inner walls of the complex were playfully decorated with childish sheet-ghosts, googly-eyed skeletons, Frankenstein and Dracula movie posters, owls, and pumpkins both carved and untouched.

Hanging up the final piece of Halloween decorations, Ally Dawson stepped back to examine her work: Sonic Boom was now an all-ages haunted house complete with webbing, fall-colored leaves, jack-o'-lanterns, ghostly drapes over the doorways, a witch's cauldron, and several juvenile posters explaining the origins of All Hallows' Eve and the notorious Jack-o'-Lantern. Satisfied, Ally took a seat on a stool behind the counter that was now topped with a mechanical zombie arm. The air was cool and crisp, which was always a source of relief for the young woman. _Austin and the gang should be showing up soon, _Ally reminded herself. Thankfully, she had a copy of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein handy. Opening to the marked page, the brunette continued the tortured path of the misunderstood creature. _This beats Freddy Krueger any day._ Allowing herself to slip away, the sensible young woman quickly lost track of time.

"Hey, Ally," Austin loudly greeted his friend, inadvertently shocking her out of her trance.

Shrieking, the brunette girl's head shot up from her book. "Holy crap, Austin!" she exclaimed, her heart pounding. "…Sorry. Hey guys. What's up?"

"Sorry to startle you," Austin sincerely apologized. "We were checking out the decorations around town."

"And we saw this sign for a huge Halloween party they're throwing in two days," Trish continued. "It's a costume party that's gonna go all night. And get this: They're giving out one thousand dollars for the best costumes."

"That's awesome," Ally excitedly replied, standing up. "Where's it gonna be?"

"They got clearance to use that abandoned warehouse near the beach," Dez answered. "The city's letting them go all out. Then, when everyone's out of the building, they're gonna blow it up!"

"…Whoa," the brunette young woman declared. "That sounds pretty intense. You're sure it's legal?"

"It's completely legit," Austin clarified. "It's been on the news and the radio all day. We should all enter."

"Good plan," Trish replied. "Then we should make our costumes on our own so they're not too similar."

"I'm in," Ally and Dez accidentally said in harmony, turning the scene into something awkward. Brushing it off, the two quickly composed themselves and took a step apart.

"I could update my Galexis Nova costume," Ally enthusiastically declared. "I love having a continuity like that going."

"I thought you were gonna branch out this year," Trish replied, taking a seat next to her best friend. "You know, try something crazy and different."

"Trish, I'm not doing that sexy kitten thing," the brunette answered in an almost grave tone. The Latina looked at her friend in disbelief for a moment. His attention caught, Austin glanced at Ally before sharply turning away.

"No, I just meant something that's not your usual style," Trish corrected her friend.

"I thought about it," Ally replied, looking through a catalog of Halloween costumes. "I'm just not sure. I mean, you know how shy I get around crowds of people."

"But it's going to be Halloween," Dez said. "That's like the one night you can be completely outrageous."

"Just think about it some more," Trish asked of her friend. "Remember, things change on Halloween night." Ally smiled at the idea before agreeing to consider something new.

"Well hey, I'm gonna get started while the idea's still hot on my mind," Austin declared. "I'll see you guys later."

"That's probably not the only thing that's hot on his mind," Trish whispered in Ally's ear, causing her to blush. Then, one by one, the group departed, leaving Ally alone to debate her choices.

That night, the brunette sat in her studio room, tacking several drawings onto her stand. _Okay, Galexis is probably out of the question, _she told herself, scanning over the images. _A werewolf is too generic…vampiress is too sleazy…Maybe I should use a concept instead of a character…"_ Glancing out her large window, Ally saw what appeared to be a shooting star fly through the air. Caught in the stray object's nearly hypnotic path, the young woman saw it collide with a nearby hill. "My gosh," she exclaimed, fascinated. Dropping her pictures, the brunette ran out of her room and into the night, determined to find the space rock before anyone else.

Running through the mall, passing the gated stores and stands, Ally didn't notice her sight becoming tunnel vision. All the lights and stars melted into shining blurs as her speed increased. The beat of her heart became silent, her pulse flat, and her body indirectly numb. The light of the fallen star was so bright; so loud. It was calling her; just her. Feeling her mouth start to water, Ally ignored the cars speeding around her as she charged across an intersection. _Almost there, _she told herself, pushing forward. The cries and screams of those surrounding her fell upon deaf ears. "Oh yeah, I'm close," Ally excitedly hissed, saliva now dripping from her mouth as her gait improved rapidly. Soon, her heart began to pound as her pulse spiked. All rational thought was gone: This was all that mattered. She needed to find the rock, bask in its glow, and stop anyone else from seeing it. Licking her lips, Ally finally reached the hill and began climbing. At last, she found the small crater the fallen star had left. The ground was warm and void of grass. The hole was releasing smoke and dust, but the light shined through. Slowly returning to her natural, docile self, the young woman calmed herself and smiled warmly at the rock. Slowly reaching out her hand, Ally ignored the burn of the contact and took in the cool, comforting embrace of the alien rock. "So pretty," she whispered, awestruck. "Came all the way from the heavens…all for me." Her grasp gracefully becoming a hug, Ally felt the glow of the rock become warm.

Suddenly, the rock split open, releasing a series of small, purple-hued tentacles that instantly lashed out and sunk into the young woman's eyes, merging on contact. Gasping, Ally felt her body become enveloped in a shining cocoon. Her mind began swirling and throbbing as all of her secrets became known. Then, a warm, cleansing liquid drowned out her blood, and she was whole. Finding herself on the ground, Ally opened her eyes to see the stars shining down on her. As her head pounded, the brunette felt her world spinning. Slowly rising to her feet, the young woman looked down at the city with bloodshot eyes. Shaking off her nausea, Ally walked back to her home, remaining somewhat oblivious to the sounds around her. However, her eyes and sense of smell were sharper than ever.

The city of Miami was alive with flashing lights and warm bodies. Staggering along the sidewalk, Ally fought against becoming overwhelmed. "Ally?" Keeping home in mind, the young woman persisted onward. "Ally, are you okay?" Turning around sharply, the brunette saw a familiar face that registered immediately. "Dallas, right?" she replied as a smile formed on her face.

"Yeah," the young man answered. "Do you need any help? You look kind of sick."

"I'm fine," Ally replied. "Thanks, though…Hey, actually, do you have a sec?"

"Sure," Dallas answered with a smile, letting Ally take the lead. The young woman walked towards an abandoned shop and abruptly turned around. Shocked, Dallas stopped short in time to catch Ally when she fainted. Her force greater than he expected, the boy felt himself fall back, shattering a window and landing the two inside the dark, empty building. "Oh god," Dallas exclaimed. "Are you okay?" Then, everything grew quiet, and a warm embrace covered the young man's body as his world faded into nothingness.

"No, Trish," Ally groaned into her phone while resting her hand on her aching forehead. "I'm calling in sick today…No, it's just, my period is really heavy this month. It just came out of nowhere. Yeah, I feel horrible; my head's pounding and I feel extremely bloated." Glancing out the window, Ally dropped and closed the blinds. "Okay…thanks, Trish…Love you." Hanging up her cell phone, the young woman cradled her throbbing stomach in her arms. _I could just die…right now, _she told herself. _What the hell happened last night? Whatever happened to that rock? _Hearing her bowels churn and growl, Ally glanced down to see her stomach bloated and expanded. _Oh, god, _she moaned to herself. _I think I'm gonna throw up._ Standing up, the brunette found that her pain was too great to maintain an upright posture, so she doubled over, clenching her belly, and charged into her bathroom.

Once she was closed inside her restroom, Ally quickly grabbed her hair and pulled it back before vomiting into the toilet. Gagging and coughing, the young woman felt something sharp and hard pass through her lips. Once the bile ceased, the brunette let her trembling body drop back, allowing her to catch a glimpse of what came out of her body. "Oh…god," she quivered, seeing thick, almost tar-like waste colored purple and black. However, the presence of a jagged, deeply-rooted tooth among the bile caused her heart to skip a beat. Covering her mouth with a weak, quaking hand, Ally's eyes remained wide and horrified. Feeling a pain in her mouth, the young woman forced the object out of her mouth with a cough. Looking at her palm, the brunette grew pale at the sight of red and black blood pooled around three large teeth that still retained shreds of her gum tissue. "Oh god," she gasped, losing all strength and dropping onto her back. "Oh my god, what's happening to me? Oh!" Clenching her throbbing belly, Ally felt something moving and probing within her stomach. The pain was unbearable and unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. Suddenly, Ally began to scream as a crushing tightness overtook her middle abdomen.

"Something isn't right," Trish confessed to Austin, Dez, and Carrie as they sat together on an indoor bench. "She never misses, and she seemed fine yesterday."

"Did she tell you what was wrong?" Carrie asked innocently.

"Yeah," the Latina answered. "Uh, Dez, Austin, take a walk or something. I need to talk to Carrie in private." Respecting their friend's wishes, Dez and Austin quickly departed, growing uneasy as the nature of the conversation became obvious. "Looks," Trish continued in a whisper. "She told me she was having her period…She _never_ has it this early."

"Do you think she got hurt?" Carrie further inquired.

"I doubt it," the curly-haired young woman replied. "I think it's serious, though. Maybe we should go see her after school."

"Sounds good," the blond girl declared. "Hey, you know what's funny?" Trish shook her head. "You know, _my_ name's Carrie…But _Ally's _the one having the 'girly' problems…You know, because of that movie…"

"I know what you're talking about," Trish cut her friend short, not wanting to get anywhere near that sort of talk. "Meet me after last hour and we'll figure out what to do." The two nodded and parted ways.

Too weak to leave her bathroom, Ally tapped against the wall, one finger at a time. Her nails clicking, the young woman covered her mouth with her other hand, crying and clenching her tear-burned eyes shut. Terror and agony raged inside of her body, crippling her legs and rendering her bound atop the toilet. "What the hell's happening to me?" Ally gasped as she felt her body discharging a massive amount of blood. Suddenly, the image of Dallas' face flashed through her mind, and something solid discharged. As the pain coursed through her body, Ally's nails dug into the wall, penetrating the lining and insulation. Her body weightless but frozen with horrified agony, the young woman forced herself to look down at her body: Dividing her legs, she looked into the toilet to see a small, greasy clutch of eggs oozing with translucent black ooze stuck to the bottom of the bowl, and screamed in terror past the point of her throat bleeding.

Walking up the stairs to Ally's studio, Trish and Carrie quietly discussed how they would approach their friend with sensitivity and true concern. "Remember, I wasn't supposed to tell you about her period," Trish said. "You insisted on coming because you heard she was sick."

"I've got it, Trish," Carrie replied. "Don't worry." Once the two reached the top of the staircase, the blond young woman knocked on the door to Ally's studio. "Ally?" she called. "Ally, it's Carrie and Trish. Can we come in?" Continuing to knock on the door, Carrie slowly grew worried.

Standing back, Trish felt her heart pound while frightening possibilities began to buzz in her head. "Carrie, let me try," she said, walking over to the door and unlocking it with the special key Ally gave her. "Come on." As the Latina opened the door, the sound of Ally's screams tore through the air, and blood was soon splattered on the walls in grizzly designs. Outside, the light of day began to fade as darkness set in.

"Did you hear from Carrie after school got out?" Austin asked Dez as the two approached Sonic Boom.

"No," the redheaded young man answered. "She went off with Trish and I didn't get a chance to see her."

"I know they wanted to check on her, but I don't wanna take the chance of not being there if she's in trouble," the blond replied.

"You really care about her, don't you?" Dez said, giving his friend an approving smile.

"Of course I do," Austin answered. "My whole life, you and her were the only ones who ever really, I don't know…got me. That means something to me."

"That's what friends are for, man," the kind ginger declared. "Confession time: Trish, Carrie, and I always thought you guys would be more, though."

"Dez, I'm not going down that road again," the young man replied. "Not ever. Ally and I are friends. That's all I need."

"Fair enough," Dez happily gave in. The two then reached the door to Sonic Boom, only to find them locked. "That's weird: Ally never closes up this early. She's got all the lights off, too."

"Something's not right," Austin declared. Reaching into his pocket, the young man took out the key Ally entrusted him with several months ago, and opened the doors. "Come on, Dez." After letting the door close behind them, the two young men looked around for a moment before attempting to turn on the lights. "Ally?" Austin cried out.

"The lights are out," Dez declared, flicking the switch up and down. "Maybe a fuse was blown." Taking out his cell phone, the redheaded young man used its light to illuminate a small fraction of the room.

Motioning forward, Austin made his way up the steps to the studio with Dez close behind. Touching the railing, the blond teenager felt something cold and slimy soak his hand, causing him to jolt it back. "What the hell?" he shrieked. "Dez, shine it over here." As the light focused on the railing, the presence of a thick, flowing black goo came became known. Their hearts pounding, the two pulled away, nearly slamming into the wall.

"What is that stuff?" Dez asked, slowly becoming consumed by the idea of something closing in.

"No idea," Austin answered. "Ally!" Running up the last of the steps, the young man pounded on the studio door. "Ally, are you in there? Ally, there's something wrong; Something's in here! Can you hear me?" Bashing his hand into the door, Austin felt horrible images and ideas entering his brain. "Dez, stand back." Readying himself, the blond thrust his foot into the door, making no headway. Stepping back again, he drove into the wooden door, forcing it forward a degree. "Come on!" With all his might, Austin kicked open the door, smashing it into the wall as he and Dez walked inside.

Shining the light of his phone around the room, Dez was the first witness: purple and black slime mixed with pitch-black tar covered the walls and ceiling, streaming down to the damp floor that was slowly bubbling. Streaks of translucent fluids resembling saliva coated the windows and linked the ceiling while sticking to small, unidentifiable objects ranging in shape from rock to a shoe to bones. Breathless, the two slowly walked forward, barely able to see what was in front of them. Stepping on something solid that squished and released what sounded like a hiss, Dez shined his light on the ground to discover a pile of feces that gradually increased in size towards the left wall of the room. Screaming in horror, the redhead felt his feet start to burn as the substance seeped through his shoes. Upon looking into the waste, several bones and a severed, trauma-locked human face stripped of most of its flesh, hair, and sections of eyes seemed to stare back at the two. "…Dallas?" Austin choked out, his voice trembling. Walking backward, Dez became soaked and partially stuck to a massive structure. "Austin!" he screamed, feeling the ooze drench him and pour down his back. Pulling out his phone, Austin shined a light on the spot he heard his friend's voice coming from, only to drop it in fear, shattering it on the tainted floor.

"Oh god, oh god," Dez croaked, trying desperately to escape the substance. With every movement the hideous mass clung tighter and tighter to the young man's flesh and hair, slowly starting to peel shreds from them. "Austin, help me, it's burning! Oh, god, it's eating me! Austin, help me!"

"Dez…" Austin declared, feeling his mind drift from his terror-filled body. "It's an egg clutch."

Suddenly, the inner most door of the studio tore open, releasing a putrid smell into the air and revealing a dimly lit fixture of large, vein-coated eggs that pumped fluids into one another in the movement of a beating heart, two sets of skeletal remains, and something almost reptilian moving at great speed with long, slim appendages. Its body producing a rolling croak, the beast hissed with all its might, gritting its long, jagged teeth, and lunged forward. The creature was long, thin, rigged, and bony, its body reliant on its long, jagged arms to support its weight, armored by its exoskeletal flesh, its stomach exposed and dangling from its midsection in an organic pouch, its eyes almost human but warped into a serpent-like form, and its movements violent and predetermined. "Oh my god!" Dez hollered, unable to control himself. Suddenly, from within the beast's growl, Austin heard Ally screaming.

Helpless, the blond young man was forced to watch the creature tear and rend his beloved friend's flesh from his bones. Once his body gave out, Dez gave one last glance to his friend before closing his eyes as the monster tore through his bones and consumed his organs. Blood splashed against the slime-covered walls as bone shavings lined the floor. "Dez!" Austin screamed. "Ally, where are you?"

Fixing its eyes on the blond teenager, the creature snarled as Ally's voice screamed once again, and lunged at Austin. Opening his eyes, Austin found himself in a strange place, breathing the hot, rancid air the monster discharged. Moving slowly, the young man turned his head to see the imprint of a hand bulging in the stomach of the creature. "Ally?" he whispered, leaning closer to the sack of flesh. "Did you save me?" Slowly moving his hands, Austin prayed for his friend, and ripped open the beast's stomach, releasing black slime and causing the creature to awaken and roar in pain. Reaching into the stomach, the young man felt a hand, pulled it towards himself, and desperately ran away from the creature.

"Austin!" Ally cried out, running behind her friend as their grasp tightened. Turning back, the blond young man's jaw dropped and a massive smile formed on his face when he realized he wasn't running alone. "Thank you. Thank God." Seeing a light in the distance, Ally pulled Austin aside. "Don't move," she whispered. Closing her eyes, the young woman felt her pupils shift, projecting a dim pink light. "Austin, she's still alive. She's moving towards a big group of people inside this building."

"Where are we?" Austin asked, his thoughts racing.

"…This is the warehouse," Ally realized. "The costume party…That thing was growing inside of me. It took me over. I know what it was doing…Oh, god…Trish, Carrie, and Dez…"

"Ally, we need to go," Austin replied. "We can't stop it."

"What are we gonna do?" the brunette demanded.

"We're gonna get as far away from this town as possible…and just hope that they blow this place up before that thing can get out," the blond young man answered.

"Just promise me you won't look back," Ally declared. His eyes tearing up, Austin mouthed his agreement, took Ally's outstretched hand, and followed her out the doors and into the city.

Holding each other's hand, the two made their way up the hill, causing Ally's memory to snap back. "Austin, give me your lighter," she said, locating the remains of the rock. Austin gave his friend the lighter in his pocket and watched her light it and drop it onto the rock, setting the crash site on fire for just a moment. Turning back to one another, Austin and Ally joined hands, listened to the sound of a growing explosion, and travelled further up the hill, not stopping or looking back until they were out of the city as the night grew old.


End file.
